Thrill of reaching pinnacle of university sport on display as 2014 BLG nominees announced

Rita Mingo, For the Calgary Herald04.15.2014

U of C Dinos star Erik Glavic, left, clowns with UBC Thunderbirds’ Liz Cordonier after the pair won the BLG 2010 male and female athletes of the year. Glavic was on hand at a press conference in Calgary on Tuesday announcing the 2014 nominees.

Being nominated for a BLG award is kind of like being part of an exclusive club, one filled with high-achieving individuals who have become used to being rewarded for their efforts.

“When you all get together, I remember in my year, there’s a football MVP, a soccer MVP, a hockey MVP. On the girls side there was a basketball MVP, a track MVP . . . you understand that all these athletes are in the same boat as you,” related 2009-10 winner Erik Glavic. “They’re working hard in the gym, while at the same time keeping a high level of academic standard in the classroom. When you look at one another, you don’t have to say too much. You nod your head and you understand what they’ve been through during the year.

“This is the cherry on top of the sundae.”

The BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP) awards have reached their 22nd year and once again have collected a group of worthy student-athletes to celebrate CIS excellence.

Nominated on the female side and the Jim Thompson Trophy for the 2013-14 season are volleyball player Lisa Barclay from the University of British Columbia, hockey player Katia Clement-Heydra from McGill, track and field star Khamica Bingham from York and Saint Mary’s University basketball standout Justine Colley.

As for the men, those vying for the Doug Mitchell Trophy include Hec Crighton Trophy winner and quarterback Jordan Heather from Bishop’s University, hockey player Liam Heelis from Acadia, fellow hockey player Derek Hulak from the University of Saskatchewan and basketball ace Philip Scrubb from Carleton.

“I think one of the real cool thing about these athletes is that not only are they great athletes they’re also unbelievable students,” said Pierre Lafontaine, the CIS chief executive officer. “Not only are we celebrating great athletes, but also role models as students, so kudos to BLG.”

The awards ceremony will be held at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Monday, April 28. The winners, who like all finalists receive a commemorative gold ring, will also be handed a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship — nothing to sneeze at in these days of exorbitant education fees.

“The thing that I like most about this award is it highlights CIS sports,” submitted Glavic, who was a record-setting quarterback at the University of Calgary at the time and now works in marketing in the oil and gas industry. “Not necessarily the individual aspect, but how it raises awareness that there are athletes competing every single day, during the off-season they’re putting in the time … it’s a part of their lives. A lot of times that’s overshadowed in Canada.”

Liz Cordonier, who was also rewarded with the BLG in 2010 as an exceptional volleyball player at UBC, noted how being the winner of this prestigious tribute goes far in one’s post-competitive career.

“I don’t think I really knew what the BLG award was going to do for me until I stopped being an athlete, which is a really very difficult transition,” Cordonier, who started law school at the U of C in 2012, pointed out. “When I got to school, I thought I’d have trouble getting in, trouble relating to people and one of the nice thing was people knew who I was because of the BLG awards. It’s one of the things that stick out in my resume as a talking point.”

Doug Mitchell, the national co-chair of BLG, pointed out the importance of athletics in developing leaders in society.

“I think it’s such a valuable part . . . young people participating in sports,” he said. “It teaches you all about life. And we really look at what people have done outside of their university degree.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Thrill of reaching pinnacle of university sport on display as 2014 BLG nominees announced

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.